50
thinking from many different disciplines (Waite and Broomell 2012 ). The biological, chemical and materials diversity of the ocean is amazing and therefore is an
extraordinary resource for the discovery of new bioactive substances, biopolymers,
bioadhesives, bioelastomers and hierarchically structured biocomposites. As reported
in this chapter above, marine vertebrates possess amazing diversity of biological
materials that determine and that serves to drive current and future progress in modern biomimetics.
Biomimetics can be defi ned as the use of natural principles and phenomena to
inspire design and technology both at nano- and macrolevels. Biomimetics reinforces the need to protect ocean biodiversity, the patent library for the technologies
of the future (Gorb 2011 ). Therefore, biomimetic materials and marine inspiration
(Bellamkonda 2008 ) are the modern directions in materials science and engineering. It’s not surprising that one of the special issues of the
Marine Technology Society Journal in August 2011 is entitled “ Biomimetics and
Marine Technology ”. This special issue brings together both biologists and engineers who are currently involved with the development of biomimetic devices for
applications in the marine environment. The titles of the articles therefore were
dedicated to, among others, applying biomimetics to underwater robotics, the bioinspired propulsion mechanisms based on Manta ray locomotion (see for review
Pennisi 2011 ), the use of a biomimetic skeleton for the fl apping, propulsive tail of
an aquatic robot, and additionally in the marine applications of a biomimetic
humpback whale fl ipper. Thus, there are no doubts that marine biosystems are quite
rich in capabilities that have and can further benefi t humans from biomimicking
(Bar Cohen 2011 ) (see Chaps. 5 and 7 in this work).
References
Adams LE (1906) The fl ight of fl ying fi sh. Zoologist 4:145–148
Adams NJ, Walter CB (1993) Maximum diving depths of cape gannets. Condor 95:136–138
Ahlberg PE (1989) Paired fi n skeletons and relationships of the fossil group Porolepiformes
(Osteichthyes: Sarcopterygii). Zool J Linnean Soc 96:119–166
Ahlberg PE (1991) Tetrapod or near tetrapod fossils from the Upper Devonian of Scotland. Nature
354:298–301
Ahlberg PE (1993) Elginerpeton pancheni and the earliest tetrapod clade. Nature 373:420–425
Ahlberg PE, Johanson Z (1998) Osteolepiforms and the ancestry of tetrapods. Nature
395(6704):792–794
Ahlberg P, Trinajstic K, Johanson Z, Long J (2009) Pelvic claspers confi rm chondrichthyan–like
internal fertilization in arthrodires. Nature 460:888–889
Ahlborn F (1897) Der fl ug der Fische. Zool Jb Abt Syst 9:329–338
Ainley DG (1980) Birds as marine organisms. CalCOFI Rep 21:48–53
Al–Bahry SN, Mahmoud IY, Al–Amri IS et al (2009) Ultrastructural features and elemental
distribution in eggshell during pre and post hatching periods in the green turtle, Chelonia
mydas at Ras Al–Hadd, Oman. Tissue Cell 41:214–221
Albertson RC, Cresko W, Detrich HW III, Postlethwait JH (2009) Evolutionary mutant models for
human disease. Trends Genet 25:74–81
1 Introduction
thinking from many different disciplines (Waite and Broomell 2012 ). The biological, chemical and materials diversity of the ocean is amazing and therefore is an
extraordinary resource for the discovery of new bioactive substances, biopolymers,
bioadhesives, bioelastomers and hierarchically structured biocomposites. As reported
in this chapter above, marine vertebrates possess amazing diversity of biological
materials that determine and that serves to drive current and future progress in modern biomimetics.
Biomimetics can be defi ned as the use of natural principles and phenomena to
inspire design and technology both at nano- and macrolevels. Biomimetics reinforces the need to protect ocean biodiversity, the patent library for the technologies
of the future (Gorb 2011 ). Therefore, biomimetic materials and marine inspiration
(Bellamkonda 2008 ) are the modern directions in materials science and engineering. It’s not surprising that one of the special issues of the
Marine Technology Society Journal in August 2011 is entitled “ Biomimetics and
Marine Technology ”. This special issue brings together both biologists and engineers who are currently involved with the development of biomimetic devices for
applications in the marine environment. The titles of the articles therefore were
dedicated to, among others, applying biomimetics to underwater robotics, the bioinspired propulsion mechanisms based on Manta ray locomotion (see for review
Pennisi 2011 ), the use of a biomimetic skeleton for the fl apping, propulsive tail of
an aquatic robot, and additionally in the marine applications of a biomimetic
humpback whale fl ipper. Thus, there are no doubts that marine biosystems are quite
rich in capabilities that have and can further benefi t humans from biomimicking
(Bar Cohen 2011 ) (see Chaps. 5 and 7 in this work).
References
Adams LE (1906) The fl ight of fl ying fi sh. Zoologist 4:145–148
Adams NJ, Walter CB (1993) Maximum diving depths of cape gannets. Condor 95:136–138
Ahlberg PE (1989) Paired fi n skeletons and relationships of the fossil group Porolepiformes
(Osteichthyes: Sarcopterygii). Zool J Linnean Soc 96:119–166
Ahlberg PE (1991) Tetrapod or near tetrapod fossils from the Upper Devonian of Scotland. Nature
354:298–301
Ahlberg PE (1993) Elginerpeton pancheni and the earliest tetrapod clade. Nature 373:420–425
Ahlberg PE, Johanson Z (1998) Osteolepiforms and the ancestry of tetrapods. Nature
395(6704):792–794
Ahlberg P, Trinajstic K, Johanson Z, Long J (2009) Pelvic claspers confi rm chondrichthyan–like
internal fertilization in arthrodires. Nature 460:888–889
Ahlborn F (1897) Der fl ug der Fische. Zool Jb Abt Syst 9:329–338
Ainley DG (1980) Birds as marine organisms. CalCOFI Rep 21:48–53
Al–Bahry SN, Mahmoud IY, Al–Amri IS et al (2009) Ultrastructural features and elemental
distribution in eggshell during pre and post hatching periods in the green turtle, Chelonia
mydas at Ras Al–Hadd, Oman. Tissue Cell 41:214–221
Albertson RC, Cresko W, Detrich HW III, Postlethwait JH (2009) Evolutionary mutant models for
human disease. Trends Genet 25:74–81
1 Introduction